FRIENDSHIPS

Do you know the difference between Friendships and Acquaintances?  I am constantly amazed by the number of people who confuse the two. 

I have many acquaintances; I am just blessed that way.  I enjoy being around people and for some reason, people are drawn to me.  I don’t mind, I am actually honored most of the time.  That does not mean these people are my friends; they are just people I know.  That is an acquaintance. 

Many people expect their friends to be everything to them, to be there whenever they are needed, no matter what. I have learned not to expect one person to be all things to me.  I have friends that I share everything with and friends that I share nothing with.  Some friends lift me up and some I lift up.  And sometimes we take turns.

My husband is certainly my friend but sometimes I just don’t want to talk to him, I want to talk with someone else.  It doesn’t mean I love him any less, it means that I intuitively know who will support me in the way I need at the moment.   I think that is key, to understand that sometimes the closest of friends are not capable of being what is needed.  We all have strengths and weaknesses and I am not going to expect someone to share my joys and sorrows when they just don’t get it.  I have one friend that is the one person that will say whatever I need to hear, no matter whether I want to hear it or not.  I know when to call her and I don’t like it.  But, she gets to the heart of the matter and makes me face what I do not want to see.  I have another friend that is so gentle with me and I always go to her when I just need love. 

Another friend says when you learn each other secrets it changes everything.  She is right too.  Adding intimacy does change a relationship. It adds a trust element that some of us are not willing to or capable of accepting.  I think more friendships are broken here than anywhere else. 

There are friendships that I call the Dump and Runs.  They call and dump all their stuff and then I don’t hear from them until it is time to dump again.  This one frustrates me the most because I want to hear the good stuff too.  I at least want to hear that everything is ok.

Friends come in and out of my life and we pick up right where we left off.  It is amazing how that happens.  I don’t worry about the absences anymore.  I know that life takes us all different places and when the time is right, we find each other again.  My friend Phyllis and I hadn’t seen each other in years and then we met at a pool tournament.  We hugged and laughed and talked like it was just yesterday because it was to us.  Our lives are very different but are hearts are still the same.

I am blessed to have long term friends; I hesitate to call them old!  And I am blessed to have new friends as well.  That tells me that I am still growing and open to new things.  In my life there is always room for another friend.